SIDALC: Sistema hemisférico de información agrícola cumple 10 años

SIDALC Sistema hemisférico de información agrícola cumple 10 años

Con más de 2 millones de registros de información compilados en una megabase de datos, cerca de 300 profesionales de la información congregados en una comunidad virtual y más de 25 mil visitas diarias, el Sistema de Información y Documentación Agrícola de América Latina y el Caribe (SIDALC) cumple este año su décimo aniversario.

SIDALC es un servicio internacional de información agrícola, pecuaria, forestal y ambiental que le permite a instituciones de una veintena de países del hemisferio compartir información y servicios informativos.

AGRI2000 reúne colecciones especializadas en agricultura y ciencias afines de 162 centros de información del hemisferio.

El sistema, que es administrado por el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA), reúne en su megabase de datos AGRI2000 colecciones especializadas en agricultura y ciencias afines de 162 centros de información del hemisferio y es una ventana a otras bibliotecas de renombre internacional.

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Hemispheric agricultural information service celebrates tenth anniversary

Agricultural information specialists from the hemisphere to meet in Costa Rica

The Agricultural Information and Documentation Service of the Americas (SIDALC), which operates a mega database comprising more than 2 million entries, brings together some 300 information specialists in a virtual community and receives 25 thousand hits on its Website every day, will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year.

SIDALC is an international agricultural, livestock, forestry and environmental information service which enables institutions in 20 countries of the hemisphere to share information services and provide access to their repositories of knowledge for others outside the region.

The Service, administered by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and coordinated by the Orton Commemorative Library, operates the AGRI2000 mega database, which contains specialized collections on agriculture and related sciences from 162 information centers throughout the hemisphere and provides access to other internationally renowned libraries.

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Media, ICTs, extension to accelerate agriculture in South Asia

This week, the SAARC Agriculture Centre held a workshop to discuss ways to strengthen linkages among research, extension, farmer and marketing through improved use print and electronic media in SAARC Member States.

The discussions were picked up in regional media:

• The News (Pakistan) reported that the experts "stressed the need for the establishment of the first agriculture e-chamber, besides utilising information and communication technologies to promote the agriculture sector in the region." Dr Qadir Bux Baloch, Agriculture Development Commissioner of Pakistan's Ministry of Food and Agriculture referred to a series of websites to be set up - see www.agroleadclub.com. He further "called for extending all kinds of support to the media to facilitate transfer of technology from research institutes to farmers."
  
  
• South Asia Media Net reported interventions by agricultural experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India. Md.Nazrul Islam from Bangladesh suggested to develop agricultural technology related farmers friendly contents for disseminating through ICT facilities and community based information centers; he also recommended the use of tools like mobile, CD, and Web to transfer technology at the village level - ensuring that agriculture technologies and information will be available at the "door-step of the farmers."
  

Download workshop paper - PDF

Question Box connects farming communities to AgInfo answers

Under the tagline 'Realtime Web for the Bottom Billion', a new type of service for farmers is emerging.

Piloting in India and Uganda, Question Box "brings information to people who cannot or do not access the Internet directly." It "leaps over illiteracy, computer illiteracy, lack of networks, and language barriers."

Combining mobile phones with the power of the Internet, rural people can pose their questions to local call centers where operators research answers. The questions and answers are in local languages and, notably, don't require users to be able to read and write. (Note, the Kothmale Internet Project in Sri Lanka did something similar by combining rural radio with questions and answers)

For information specialists, the project is also documenting and sharing some of the questions that they receive. Visit 'World Wants to Know' to see a visualization of the questions received. For the first time, we can all see examples of the kinds of issues on the mind of farming communities.

More info:

Question Box home
What is Question Box?
QuestionBlog
Ask Us Anything - podcast

Congrès IAALD 2010 : 1er appel à communications

Information scientifique et technique et développement rural : Eclairages sur des pratiques innovantes

Les communications et posters devront porter sur un des cinq thèmes suivants :

• Processus d'apprentissage innovants
  
• Services d'information : une évolution constante
  
• Communication et échange d'informations multi-acteurs
  
• Systèmes d'information pour une information structurée et intégrée
  
• Produits et services d'information en appui aux politiques publiques
  

Des informations plus détaillées sur les thèmes du congrès

Toute personne souhaitant présenter une communication ou un poster doit préalablement s'enregistrer et soumettre un résumé en anglais ou français (300 mots maximum) à l'adresse suivante

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IAALD 2010 Congress: 1st Call for papers

Scientific and Technical Information and Rural Development : Highlights of Innovative Practices

Papers must address one of the following themes:

• Innovative learning processes
  
• Information services, the need for a continued redefinition
  
• Communication and Information exchange for multiple stakeholders
  
• Information systems for structured and integrated information
• Information products and services as public policy enablers

Further information on the 5 themes of the congress

Those wishing to present a paper or a poster should register and submit their abstract in English or French (maximum 300 words) to the following address.

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Animal health libraries, librarians, and librarianship

Vicki Croft at Washington State University has compiled a "comprehensive, international bibliography to works written about animal health libraries and by their librarians." Download the full text from the WSU Dspace.

Science blogging: The future of science communication?

The relationships between science journalism, science communication and new social media was one of the discussion points at the recent World Conference of Science Journalists.

A recent post by Daniel D. Brown on his Biochemical Soul blog explains why scientists and science students should follow science blogs:

1. To keep up to date on fascinating research
   
2. Join in the great discussion
   
3. Science blogs allow you to talk about science in an informal setting
   
4. Gain emotional and social support from like-minded people
   

Why they should start a science blog:

1. Share your passion for science
   
2. Be a part of the community
   
3. Make connections
   
4. Be a part of “the good fight”
   
5. Become a better writer
   
6. Hone your ability to distill complex research into understandable terms
   
7. Showcase your dedication to science and your interest in outreach
   
8. Get feedback on your own thoughts and/or research
   
9. Blogs are great teaching tools both inside and outside the classroom
   
10. Increase the visibility of yourself, your lab, your department, and your University
    
11. Have fun

ATI Interactive: e-extension for Philippine agriculture

The Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) maximizes the potentials of information and communication technology to empower stakeholders along agriculture and fisheries. The ATI is the "home of e-extension" in the Philippines.

'ATI interactive' is a source of information on various programs and services, knowledge products on various agriculture and fishery technologies as well as success stories and breakthroughs along extension and training, among others. It is a place for extension workers to share their views, stories and experiences in the field.

Check out the ATI e-extension portal - and especially the Interactive System for Agricultural Exchange and Electronic Learning.

Nouveau site Internet du CTA / New CTA website

Welcome to the new CTA website! / Bienvenue sur le nouveau site Internet du CTA !

It is not merely a facelift, but an all over body job. The improvements to the site include a new federated search engine, an improved Google map feature to showcase our partners and a new thematic feed from the site - http://www.cta.int/en/

Il ne s’agit pas d’une simple rénovation, mais d’une transformation de fond en comble. Un nouveau moteur de recherche fédérée, une nouvelle présentation des cartes Google afin de référencer nos partenaires et un nouveau contenu thématique sont autant d’améliorations apportées à ce site - http://www.cta.int/fr/